State of the art engine driven vehicles, and other engine installations as well, are equiped with oil filters in order to maintain clean lubrication. It is the automotive field with which this invention is particularly concerned and characterized by compact-complicated engine installations with hard-to-get-to components among which is the oil filter. The oil filter component is usually engine mounted and is accessible among other components such as the alternator, the refrigeration pump, and the power steering pump, all of which are closely mounted around the engine. A further complication with respect to the engine per se is the intake and exhaust manifold and pipe. And still further there is the running gear or suspension and the steering members that closely surround the engine. It is these components that vary in size, configuration and location in the many makes and year models of automobiles and trucks, and virtually all of which are equiped with an oil filter that must be replaced frequently and in the course of which oil is spilled onto any one or more of the aforementioned surrounding components. For example, the underlying running gear will become dripping wet with used engine oil, or the underlying refrigeration pump will become dripping wet with oil, or any other component or vehicle member will become wetted with oil when the removed and opened oil filter is passed thereover in the course of removal. A problem is that the oil filter is most often side mounted to the engine block and on a horizontal axis, in which case there is a moment in time during which the saturated oil filter discharges oil, before it can be uprighted. That is, used-dirty-odorous oil is invariably spilled on other engine components and onto surrounding chassis structure, it being a general object of this invention to prevent spillage of used oil from oil filters as and when they are being removed from an engine installation thereof.
There is a wide variety of oil filter shapes and sizes but which have a common mode of attachment to the engine blocks. State of the art oil filter installation is comprised of a threaded oil pressure tube onto which the oil filter body is screw threaded for attachment, and surrounding the pressure tube there is an oil return annulus within a circular seat that engages a circular seal ring carried by the oil filter body. The pressure tube and seat are provided on the engine block, usually disposed concentrically on a horizontal axis. The oil filter is provided with a bulkhead threaded for engagement onto the pressure tube and provided with the circular seal surrounding return oil ports in said bulkhead. The aforesaid engine block features are closely positioned to the side of the engine block and beneath the intake or exhaust manifold, sometimes flush with the side of the engine block and sometimes extended laterally on a boss, it being an object of this invention to provide a spill director attachment that is adaptable to the many different engine configurations. That is, the features of the attachment provided by this invention can be embodied in various structures to fit the various engine configurations. Accordingly, I provide a trough with attachment means to the side of an engine block, and with seal means closely engaged around the circular oil filter seat on the engine block and/or closely around or engaged with a boss on which the circular oil filter seat is formed.
The oil filter spill director attachment of this invention is characterized by its trough-like configuration that is shaped and formed to transport spilled oil to a discharge point where it can be conveniently collected and/or disposed of. It is to be understood that small quantities of spilled oil is involved, and accordingly the trough is in practice a shallow declining channel turned in directions determined by the surrounding engine accessories and components that are to be protected from the oil spills. Also, it is an object to accomodate abnormal accessories and components, in which case the trough of the present invention is bendable as it is made of maleable material that can be reformed as may be required to bypass whatever accessories and components without contacting the same. In carrying out this invention the oil filter spill director attachment is made of a plastic or maleable sheet metal with a plastic or rubber-like seal to engage the engine block.
A typical internal combustion engine is equiped with an electric generator, and provision for hydraulic steering pump and a refrigeration compressor. Accordingly, bosses with threaded openings are provided for mounting a generator and/or pumps. And, these mounting bosses are to be found at the cooler intake manifold side of the engine and where the oil filter boss is located. For example, a pair of mounting holes for the generator is likely to be found embracing the oil filter boss, however this will vary from one engine to another. Therefore, the hole pattern provided in the attachment of the present invention is a variable made to accomodate each make and model of engine. A typical hole pattern is shown in FIG. 2 herein comprised of a pair of holes and fasteners threaded into the side of the engine block as indicated in FIG. 1. The mode of attachment can vary as circumstances require.